Fayetteville, N.C. – The 2014 All-Nets Basketball Association (ANBA) season reached its apex on Sunday when the top-seeded Greensboro Skywalkers claimed their third league title with a 67-61 victory over the Richmond Reapers at the Freedom Sports Complex.
The Skywalkers’ John Kelley, the tournament’s most valuable player, was the glue that held his team together after it trailed in each of its three playoff games and had enough in the tank to overcome the Reapers and their top performer Reggie Dennis (12 points, 8 rebounds).
As the premier semi-professional basketball league for men under five-feet-ten-inches tall, the ANBA has brought fast-paced, high flying basketball to local gyms with the rim at nine feet, rather than the standard 10-foot height.
Owned and operated by All-Nets LLC based out of Durham, the ANBA began operation in 2011 and expanded from four to eight teams playing in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. this past season.
All league teams played a North and South Division schedule throughout the summer before traveling to the home court of the Fayetteville Sharpshooters to contend for the 2014 title.
Divisional single-elimination play took place on Saturday with match-ups determined via the final regular-season standings.
Coming into the weekend, the Skywalkers (9-1) led the South Division followed by Raleigh’s Triangle Thunder (6-4), the Charlotte Swarm (5-5), and the host Sharpshooters (5-5) respectively.
The Virginia Beach Vipers (7-3) entered the postseason tournament as the North Division’s top seed and made their way to the Tar Heel state along with the Richmond Reapers (6-4), the Baltimore Bullet Ants (1-9), and the DC Overseers (1-9).
Heading into Sunday’s games, the seeding order remained the same in the South Division with the Skywalkers leading the way, but it was the Reapers who benefited from the Bullet Ants’ upset win over Virginia Beach that helped Richmond earn a spot in the championship game.
The Bullet Ants also caught the Thunder by surprise with a 59-54 win and ended their season in third place overall, following behind Richmond and Greensboro respectively.
“It was a great season,” ANBA commissioner and founder Steven McRae said.
“Congratulations to Greensboro and all teams who competed hard throughout the summer.”
As the league operated through another developmental stage, players did not earn a salary during the season, but worked hard for the chance to compete for the postseason recognition and modest financial reward that eventually came with it.
For their efforts, the Skywalkers, coached by brothers Brent and Rakee Hinson, earned the championship title as well as $1000 in prize money.
With an underserved and available talent pool of players, McRae intends to continue to build the league’s brand and style of game using a ‘league of their own’ concept while courting the increasing interest shown from potential franchise owners and sponsors from around the country.
On the court, current players will refine their games to prepare for next season, and with continued expansion, more talent will be needed to fill rosters in order to offer the 10-guard action that current and future fans will expect to see.
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2014 ANBA Championship results
Final rankings
#1 Greensboro Skywalkers (Coach Brent & Rakee Hinson)
#2 Richmond Reapers (Coach Dwayne Allen)
#3 Baltimore Bullet Ants (Coach Kevin Faison, GM Dennis Richardson)
#4 Triangle Thunder (Coach Marcus Westfall)
#5 Charlotte Swarm (Coach Michael Glover)
#6 Virginia Beach Vipers (Coach Eric Fogg)
#7 DC Overseers (Coach James Morrison)
#8 Fayetteville Sharpshooters (Coach Daniel Murphy)
Final results
Greensboro Skywalkers 67, Richmond Reapers 61
Baltimore Bullet Ants 59, Triangle Thunder 54
Charlotte Swarm 59, Virginia Beach Vipers 58
DC Overseers 63, Fayetteville Sharpshooters 61
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